


Skin Hunger

by forklemonade



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2018-12-09 05:22:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11662464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forklemonade/pseuds/forklemonade
Summary: In a world where affection is a life necessity and skin hunger is a disease, Kimberly interns at American Affection Recovery Center to cure a certain patient.





	1. Chapter 1

There is a popular myth going around the world, saying that skin hunger is terminal. Incurable. Untreatable. Inoperable. There are people thinking the diagnosis is the end. They are wrong.

Well, at least partially. Like many disease people are used to, the key to recovery depends on two factors. Early diagnosis, and proper treatment.

Kimberly can't stop thinking about what it means. So many patients are out there, without a taste of hope. The harm of affectionless is only discovered in recent years. It means there are fewer studies, fewer doctors, and fewer hospitals.

The news sources declared it "a global epidemic", the same year Kimberly graduated from high school. She entered college knowing nothing about her future, and there were events every week, advertising the benefits of becoming an affection therapist.

Supposedly it's easier than the med school with about the same salaries. An affection therapist was well respected. The job was in high demand which guaranteed a position straight out of college. Kimberly was convinced.

Six years later, she arrives at the last obstacle between herself and a shiny certificate. A dreadful internship at American Affection Recovery Center.

Before becoming a validated affection therapist, the interns have to cure three skin hungry patients. One at a time. There are no time limits. It can take a few months, or years.

She is aware of the 30% Masters of Science in Affectionology who failed this step. Their certifications are forever delayed and most of them give up after three or four years. Kimberly isn't about to.

\---------

The first day is always the worst. Kimberly signs in with the front desk, making sure that she is the new intern and not a patient. She waits patiently for the manager of AARC.

"Good morning, Miss Hart. May I call you Kimberly?" Jason Scott is not much older than herself, but he is technically her boss. He warmly smiles and offers a hug.

Kimberly leans in politely before pulling away. Of course, AARC encourages a healthy amount of physical contact. "I'm Jason. Let's start the tour, shall we?"

Kimberly nods along as they zip through the hallway. The entire first floor is a common area where recovering patients can socialize. There are couches, blankets and pillows, all in warm colors, and a well-stocked food bar.

"This is the lounge, for the residential patients only." Jason explains, "We don't deal with emergency visits here. Every patient is a resident. They pay monthly for recovery, and we want to make them feel at home, if not better."

They ascended through the elevator to the second floor. Kimberly comes face to face to a quiet hallway. Identical doors line up on both sides, the only change is the room numbers.

"From this floor up are all patients' rooms." Jason stops to exchange a hug with a patient, who smiles at him. "There's one staff only room on each floor. We hold meetings, eat, and sometimes sleep here." He gestures at the first closed door that comes to sight.

Kimberly peaks inside the staff room when he opens the door for a crack and closes it. They move on down the hallway. Each door has the full name of the patient on the door, together with the therapist that is assigned to them. She can hear muffled talking on the other side of some doors, while the others are completely silent.

They reach the end of the floor when Kimberly notices the last door has no therapist's name on it. She looks up at Jason, a bit alarmed.

“Well, this is your patient.” He tells her. “I’m making a new sign for the door, and it will be up soon. So don’t worry about that.”

Kimberly studies the door with the number 224 on it as if it can tell her more about her patient. “Um…what are they like?” This is important to her career and the rest of her life. She would hope for an easier patient if that’s at all possible. It would be nice if she can walk out of here as Dr. Hart in a few month. She is allowed to dream, right?

Jason glances at the door rather nervously. “I will give you her file.” He promises. “Now…let’s talk in the staff room, alright?”

That’s…secretive. Kimberly follows him curiously to the private space. She watches him closing the door and sits down in the nearest chair, before siting across from him.

“What’s the matter?” She asks, now getting a bad feeling about the whole matter. “Is there something wrong?”

“Look, Kimberly, I understand how important this internship is to you.” Jason begins. It’s probably not a good news. “The Director of AARC had personally recommended you to this case, not only because of your grades and letter of recommendation…but also because this particular patient requires special treatment.”

“Okay…? Like what?” Kimberly is growing suspicious.

Jason sighs and decides to spit it. “Trini Gomez is difficult. She is unresponsive and often refuses treatment. What makes things worse is that no one visits her, and her parents stopped paying the bills since April. Which means…”

“Which means she’s living on government support, and you can’t afford real doctors.” Kimberly narrows her eyes, understanding the situation. “You need me because I’m free?”

“Kimberly,” Jason tries to speak. “It’s not…"

“I get it.” Kimberly interrupts. “It’s not an issue. I come here to finish my degree and I didn’t expect to get paid. Now, tell me about her.” She smiles, partially glad that

she gets a female patient. “You mentioned her parents?”

“I’m glad that it’s fine with you.” Jason looks visibly relaxed. He turns around and pulls a yellow folder from the file cabinet. He pushes it forward for Kimberly to read. “I have never seen her parents. They called in and paid for the first month, and then vanished. The phone number they left was discontinued, and their home address is apparently a smoothie shop.”

“Wow.” What a pair of shitty parents. Kimberly watched her languages and didn’t say it out loud. But judging by the expression on Jason’s face, he is thinking about the same thing.

She picks up the file and opens it. It’s a surprisingly thin stack of papers.

“I know it’s school requirement, but I’m really glad that you’re doing this.” Jason sighs. “We have retired people and students who volunteer here, and the girl has been living off of that. Let’s just say it’s not ideal.” He stands up and keeps himself busy making coffee for the two of them. The water boils in the background.

“What happens to the volunteers? It’s better than nothing, I suppose?”

"This week’s been tougher than usual. A boy comes in and completely freaks her out. Within three minutes, he introduced himself, attempts to hug her when she turns down the handshake, and then proceed to offer a foot massage.”

Kimberly’s mouth hangs open. She has done case studies for her master’s degree. Violating a patient’s personal space without consent is a big no no. The first impression like that can very much be traumatic.

“The Director is pissed and now I’m in charged of two therapists instead of three.” Jason huffs. “You are the second one.”

Kimberly grins, feeling the mood lightens. She expected Mr. Scott, the manager, to be high and mighty. In reality, the “employee of the month” board on the wall tells her, that there are thirty managers in the entire facility. He is only human.

“I hope Trini is doing okay now?” She asks carefully.

“God no. She locked herself in the private restroom for four hours, until our technicians break the door down. We had Dr. Cranston looked at her, and even he said the girl was near impossible.” Jason drums his finger on the table. “Oh, and the Director will offer you the certificate if you cure Trini.”

“Wait, what?” Kimberly almost spits out her coffee. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Instead of the required three patients,” Jason smiles encouragingly, “you only have to cure one.”

Kimberly stays silent and weighs her options. She flips through the files and learns not much about Trini. Most of the forms are supposed to record the details of her life, but they are left blank except a few. There is an ID photo on the corner of the first page. Her face is blank and eyes are lifeless. The girl looks like she has already given up on herself.

But then again, if Kimberly succeed…she’d be a real therapist while her classmates are still working on their second or third patient.

“I’m in. When can I see her?”


	2. Chapter 2

“Did they fix the restroom door?” Kimberly asks, trying to distract herself from the nervousness.

She stands outside 224 with Jason, who looks like he could use another coffee. He fumbles around his pockets looking for the key, then remembers the patient’s room is locked from the inside. He reaches out to knock on the door. Three times, short and firm. He lowers his hand and waits.

Kimberly blinks. It’s been five minutes and there is zero movement from the inside. Trini is described to be “unresponsive”, but Kimberly didn’t think it would mean literally.

Jason exchanges a look with Kimberly and sighs. He picks out the key and jams it in. Before twisting the door, he raises his voice for the person on the other side. “We are coming in, Trini.” He slowly nudges the door open.

All the education can’t fully prepare Kimberly for the real deal. She finds her heart beating fast, flattering like bird wings.

“Trini, this is Dr. Hart.” Jason scans around the empty room, looking for the girl.

Kimberly throws a questioning look at Jason. “I’m not a doctor yet.” She whispers.

“I know.” He mouths. “But she doesn’t know that.”

Okay. Kimberly slowly nods and resumes the search. Jason kneels down and looks under the bed, but he stands up with a shake of his head.

It’s a small and organized room for one person. A full-size bed with black and white flannel comforter. The AARC’s staffs are doing a good job keeping the room like home. The pieces of furniture are in warm colors. On the other side of the room is an armchair, in a close but respectful distance from the bed. Kimberly thinks that’s gonna be her spot. They even have stuffed animals piled up on the bed, though the toys look like no one touched them.

No one is here. Kimberly is just about to ask Jason if Trini is downstairs. The lounge looks inviting, but Trini doesn’t sound like she enjoys socializing.

Jason turns around and finds the restroom door closed. He exhales in relief and points at the door. “She’s probably in there.” He explains to Kimberly. “I told the technicians to make modification when they fixed it. Now it can close but can’t be locked.”

“But you can’t just barge in there.” Kimberly hints. She knows Trini can hear every word they are saying, so she makes sure they are on the same side. Trini must like her privacy and she will grow to like Kimberly if the therapist defends her.

“Which is why you are going to wait for her until she comes out.” Jason pats her shoulder. “Good luck. I’m glad to have you on board.”

He sounds like a captain. Kimberly watches Jason until he disappears behind the door, leaving it half-closed.

Now alone in the bedroom, Kimberly weighs her options. She can wait, of course, but she isn’t about to wait for four hours. She can’t just open the restroom door, either. The fact that they are both females doesn’t make it okay.

She approaches the restroom and places her ear close to the door. The restroom must be really small because Kimberly can hear another person’s breathing on the other side. It sort of confirms that Trini is still alive, thank goodness. Kimberly wants an accident-free first day. The patient better not die on her watch.

“Trini, are you in there?” Kimberly asks with a smooth and steady sound. “I’m…Dr. Hart. Can you open the door?"

“Go away.” Kimberly hears a small grumpy voice from inside. Well, at least she can talk.

"It's okay to come out. I'm the only one here." Kimberly sighs, playing with the door frame.

"I don't want them watching me."

Kimberly looks around the room and finds the surveillance camera. It's hung high up near the ceiling, painted yellow so it can blend in with the wall. Yet it is obvious that the black lens is watching. Kimberly imagines the restroom to be the only place Trini can have complete privacy, that's probably why she won't come out.

Kimberly decides she needs to go out of her ways if she really wants to help the patient. She drags the armchair and towards the camera. She stands up on the chair and reaches for the lens so it's facing the other wall, instead of the restroom door and the bed. She makes sure to make a lot of noise while doing so, knowing Trini is listening carefully. The legs of the chair drag on the floor, and clanks when she puts it back.

"I fixed it," Kimberly announces. "It's safe now."

She doesn't hear a response for another minute. Watching intently, Kimberly mentally bursts into cheers when the door knob turns clockwise and the door cracks open a slit. It doesn't move any further from there, but it's safe to assume that is welcomed.

Inch by inch, Kimberly pushes the door open with the tip of her fingers. She looks for the girl on the floor, where she knows many similar patients would like to hide. The water is running, Kimberly hopes it's not the shower.

The door is half open when a figure standing in front of the sink comes to her view. Trini is wearing the AARC issued patients' outfit. The white t-shirt and pants look oversized on her small frame. She studies her nails under the running water, and then washes her eyelids carelessly. With wet fingers, she untangles the mess of dark hairs and brushes them into strands. She washes her hands again, this time using the foaming liquid soap. She turns off the water when she's done, and drys her hands on the fabric of her pants instead of the clean towel next to the sink.

"They never send me a doctor." Their eyes meet in the mirror. "Are you here to diagnose, or are you here to stay?"

Kimberly opens her mouth with the urge to stutter. She swallows it back. "I'm here to see to your recovery."

People like to compare skin hunger to other deadly diseases. Unlike those awful things, a starved patient rarely has a physical change. If it's a virus, it's in the heart. Or, making it more suitable for the name, under the skin.

There were ten pages on the back of her textbook, all photos of skin hunger patients, subjects of the study. They didn't loose hair, grow wrinkles, or have their skin peeling off. They looked healthy and normal, only a bit tired. Yet, half of them passed away before the book was published. Their pictures were in grayscale.

Kimberly spent enough time studying to know that Trini is dying. So yeah. She has to cure her. At all costs.

Really, Kimberly needs to start paying her student debt before it snowballs, and Trini needs to...live.


	3. Chapter 3

Kimberly knows she’s expecting too much when Trini stays quiet for another hour. 

The patient is now sitting on her bed and looking out of the window. There’s literally nothing out there. There’s a tree with a few leaves, and that’s about it. 

Kimberly stretches on the armchair with the file on her laps. She has tried to ask Trini questions, in hope of filling the blanks. She feels like talking to a wall. All the questions disappear in the air and nothing comes out of it. 

Kimberly glances at the tilted surveillance camera. Half an hour ago, a technician knocked on the door and Kimberly told him there’s nothing wrong. He hesitated for a second and then left. 

Someone knocked on the door again. The noise startles Trini and she is forced to snap out of her thoughts. Kimberly would die to get inside her head, but she already tried the line “pennies for your thought” and receives nothing. 

Kimberly puts the file on the armrest and gets up. A nurse looks surprised to see her, but smiles and hands over a tray. Kimberly returns the smile and glances at what’s on there. 

Oatmeal.

“Breakfast is here.” Kimberly feels like she’s feeding a wild animal. She places the tray on Trini’s bed, making sure she doesn’t get too close. 

Trini has relaxed since Kimberly closes the door with her heels. The girl slowly removes the comforter over her legs and approaches the food. All while observing Kimberly’s every move. 

The therapist decides it’s a perfect opportunity to close their distance. Instead of returning to the armchair, Kimberly sits down at the foot of the bed. 

Trini eyes her suspiciously but then returns to her tray. She frowns at the food when she sees what it is.

"Do you not like oatmeal?" Kimberly catches up on that immediately.

Trini looks at her and blinks. "I don't hate it." She finally says. "But..."

"But?" Kimberly stares at her encouragingly, waiting for her to finish the sentence. Trini doesn't say anything more, as if forgets about the unfinished conversation. She pokes around the oats, burying the fruit topping.

"You don't like the fruits, either?" Kimberly watches as the apple slices and strawberries disappear from their sight. She looks up and Trini quickly diverts her gaze. 

Kimberly smiles to herself, knowing the girl is curious as well. She taps on the edge of the tray, and Trini immediately leaves it in the middle of the bed. Kimberly takes it and places it on her lap.

"What are you doing?" Trini asks, confused. Her eyes are following Kimberly's every move. 

"I'm hungry. You aren't gonna eat it so why waste the food?" Kimberly twists the spoon around. It's a psychological tactic that many respected affection therapists use. Making sure to get on the same level with the patient. Sit close to them, instead of away and above. Eat the same food, even if the patient has touched it. 

"You're not going to feed me?" Trini watches as Kimberly digs out the apple.

Kimberly stops the spoon in mid air. Talking to Trini is a strange mind game. "Do you want me to?" 

"No," Trini says, a little too quick. Kimberly analyzes her body language. The patient is closing off again. Kimberly thinks she has an idea of what's up. The nurse must have forced Trini to eat, most likely oatmeal or something she hates. Kimberly understands they have to keep her physically healthy, and the AARC's budget doesn't allow her a luxurious breakfast in bed. But by forcing the food down, the nurse is violating Trini's personal space and makes her condition worse. 

"What kind of breakfast food do you like?" Kimberly takes a sip. The food is warm, though not the best in the world, it's not disgusting. "Or brunch, it's almost noon."

Trini tries to figure out her motives. Kimberly has none. "Look," the therapist sighs. “You need to eat something. Anything. All I want to know is what to get you.”

“I don’t want anything.” Trini snaps, finally have enough. “I’m not hungry. I don’t hate oatmeal or fruit. I don’t know what game you’re playing…just stop.”

“I’m not playing any games.” Kimberly sets the tray aside. “I just want to make you feel better…” She reaches out to touch Trini’s hand, hoping to loosen her grip on the comforter. 

It proves to be a careless mistake. Trini jumps back and shakes away her hand. Retreating even further into the bed frame, she pulls the sheet all the way up to her chin. 

“Get out,” Trini says in a quiet snarl. “Don’t ever try that again.”

Kimberly feels her blood freezes over. Physical contact is the absolute key to Trini's recovery, but she is reacting so badly to the slightest touch. Kimberly removes her hand from the bed. If she leaves now, she would be admitting that she loses. From now on, Trini would tell her to go away every time she gets uncomfortable. And Kimberly can’t have that.

At this point, Trini doesn’t get to decide whether she wants to recover or not. It concerns both of them.

Trini visibly relaxes when Kimberly stands up, taking the food tray with her. The therapist heads to the door, sensing Trini sinking back to the mattress. 

The patient isn’t too happy when Kimberly returns, five minutes later. “I told you to leave me alone.” She almost growls in frustration. “Why are you here again?"

“No. You told me to get out and I did.” Kimberly smiles, entering the room and pushes the door closed behind her. “You didn’t say anything about leaving you alone.” 

She places the food tray in front of Trini, despite her obvious protest. “People leaving you alone…is what got you here in the first place."

Trini glances at the tray, noticing the contents are different this time. She looks up with a questioning stare. 

“Since I ate your breakfast, you can have mine,” Kimberly tells her. “They have a different menu for the staff.”

"Did you take a bite?" Trini questions and Kimberly almost laughs. The therapist understands what's going on, and she is glad. Trini likes what she sees but doesn't want to give in, so she is acting picky.

"The pancake? No, of course not." Kimberly smiles encouragingly. "They don't allow knives in the patients' room so I cut it up for you."

Trini picks up the plastic fork and stabs into a piece. She puts it in her mouth and chews, avoiding Kimberly's gaze.

"How is it?" Kimberly asks hopefully. 

"It's okay I guess." Trini swallows and looks up. She shrugs but eyeing the plate again.

Kimberly nods to herself and stands up. "I need to use the restroom, if you don't mind."

Trini shrugs again and watches her entering the restroom. Kimberly closes the door behind her, and smiles at the reflection of herself in the mirror. 

Everything is going well. She makes a mental note to talk to the nurse later, change up Trini's menu a bit. 

Kimberly flushes the toilet even though she didn’t use it. She turns to wash her hands with soap, and dry them on the paper towel. 

Kimberly goes out and sees Trini has finished her brunch. The patient wraps herself in a bed roll and pretends to be asleep. The plate sits on her nightstand, empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like where everything is going and I hope you do too:)


	4. Chapter 4

Kimberly sits in the staff room with her notes and Trini’s file. She talked to the nurse, who was unwilling at first, but Kimberly is convincing. They agree to have Trini on the staff’s menu. It’s not that as great as the paid patients’, but it will have some variations. 

Kimberly sinks into the chair. She plays with the cap of her pen. There’s so much to learn about Trini, and the file is almost blank. Well, there’s one thing Kimberly learns today. She scribbles down “dislike oatmeal” under the “Food Preference” section. 

“How did your first session go?” Jason walks into the room. “Were you nervous?”

“Less nervous than her.” Kimberly sighs, rubbing her temple. “And the kitchen is keeping her on an all-oatmeal diet, which she hates. They will change it from now on.”

“Okay.” Jason sits down across from her. “Now that you’ve seen what Trini’s like, what’s your plan?”

“My plan?” Kimberly fights the urge to chuckle nervously. Would it be unprofessional to admit that she has no idea? She looks down at the paperwork. Her brains are quickly working on an appropriate answer. “First I need to gain her trust, though it seems to be a long process. Then I can move on to physical treatment."

"That's probably your best bet." Jason nods. "Though it would be nice to get her used to the physical. Did you try something with her?"

Kimberly mentally cringed at how that question sounds, but she understands what he meant. “I tried to touch her hand but she reacted...dramatically.”

“I thought so too. She hates the hand-holders and fights them every night. At first, I thought the problem lies with the nurses, but maybe she just hates all physical contact.”

“The hand-holders?” Kimberly asks. It’s a confusing name for the nurses. “Do they hold her hand?”

“Yeah, it’s a new treating program we are testing,” Jason pulls out a page from Trini’s file. “We assign a nurse to hold the patient’s hand every night for half an hour. It’s mandatory especially for the more terminal patients we have. The 30-minutes might be uncomfortable for the patient, but it’s keeping them alive.” He holds the page up in front of Kimberly for her to see. “Every night the hand-holders must sign in right here and record Trini’s reaction. As you can see, she did run around her room to escape from the touch, attempted to jump from the window, and eventually gave a nurse a black eye.”

"I didn’t think she’s aggressive.” Kimberly rubs her eyebrows. “Trini didn’t actually jump, did she?"

“She's not. It's just an unfortunate circumstance. All windows are locked and only the staff members can open them.” Jason puts the paper back in place. “So no.”

“What about her current hand-holder?” Kimberly reads the form again. 

“It’s the same one she hit. It was an accident though. Trini was kicking around when the old lady tried to pick her up.” Jason explains. “I should’ve mentioned it sooner, but we need your insight on choosing her new hand-holder.”

But Kimberly barely knows Trini. Jason places a thin stack on the table. They are the files of the available and willing nurses, which isn’t that many, especially after the recent accident. There are three available and willing nurses, to be exact. And two of them are males. Kimberly doesn’t think Trini would do well with males. The only female seems too young and inexperienced and has a record of treating a patient rough. 

“You know what, I think I can do it.” Kimberly looks up and says. “That’s only if I’m allowed to. Are therapists allowed?”

“Y-yeah.” Jason looks surprised at her offer. "I mean, why not?”

\------------

Hours later, Kimberly has to rethink her decision.

It turns out when Trini pretended to be asleep so she can avoid conversations, she was really asleep. Kimberly sits on the armchair and watches her waking up. Trini doesn’t care about the stuffed animals, which are all on the floor. She is wrapped in blankets, only exposing her blinking eyes.

“Not you again.” Trini groans and now fully awake, kicking away the blankets and sits up. “You’re creepy, you know that, right?”

“It’s almost eight so I think I need to check up on you.” Kimberly hopes she knows what it means. It’s time for the handholding and Kimberly doesn't know either of them are prepared for that. 

Trini has a strange sleeping schedule. If she just slept for eight hours, she’d probably be awake all night. Kimberly wonders what she’s going to do. 

“I can't believe it. You really think a thirty-minute handshake would fix me?" Trini yawns and buries her face into the pillow.

"We gotta start somewhere." Kimberly takes off her blazer so she's wearing a t shirt. She rests it and the files on the armchair. 

Trini seems to understand that Kimberly is her new hand-holder. "Wash your hands if you're gonna touch me," Trini says. She watches the therapist behind her blanket, almost challengingly.

Kimberly hesitates for a second and then sits down on the bed. "I already did. Smell it." It's an innocent approach to get close to Trini. Kimberly hovers her hand over the patient's face, feeling the warm breaths on her palm. 

Trini narrows her eyes when Kimberly retreats. "They make soaps in green tea scent?"

"No, it's my lotion." Kimberly answers. "Every soap in AARC facility are unscented. In case of...irritations."

"Then how am I supposed to know if you washed them?"

"Guess you'd have to trust me." Kimberly smiles. "To make you feel better, I only apply lotion after I wash my hands. It's supposed to make them soft."

"It must be important to have soft hands." Trini huffs and reaches out. "Considering your profession." She pokes on the back of Kimberly's hand, taking both of them by surprise. 

Kimberly analysis the situation. Trini is curious and nervous, perhaps more curious. That makes two of them. Her hand lingers, and she pokes again before Kimberly say something. It's almost like a child pushing buttons to see where the boundary is. 

Kimberly decides to be bold and just take Trini's hand into her own. It's her job, anyway. Trini doesn't object, only shivers when she feels the body heat. Maybe the small talks relaxed her and made her feel brave.

And Kimberly gets to see the magic of physical therapy in action. She had a lot of practice when in school, but they were mainly just classmates hugging each other, in hope of understanding what the professor means by "the need for affection is human nature".

Whatever this is, it's like an energy, floating into Trini's body like water into a drought. Kimberly strokes Trini's smooth skin with the stomach of her fingers, seeing her visibly relaxes. Curling up like a tamed animal, Trini closes her eyes and sighs. 

"It's not as soft as I thought." Trini gives a small complaint. "Your lotion probably isn't working."

"It's a new thing to try out." Kimberly shrugs slightly. "I'm just getting started."


	5. Chapter 5

Kimberly knows she's technically working overtime but Trini falls asleep again. With their hands joining, Kimberly doesn't dare pull away.

If she leaves now, she can catch the last train and get back to the suburb. She can't wait to get something that's not oatmeal to eat, take a shower and get some sleep. Her first day is eventful and progressive, but her head is throbbing in pain. She also knows the Director isn't going to pay her for staying late. 

On the other hand, if she leaves now, it means Trini will wake up to the loud noise of the vacuum cleaner and the nurses trying to clean her room. Or worse, she will wake up alone. 60% of all registered skin hungry patients have abandonment issues, and Trini really looks like one of them. Kimberly has made progress today and she isn't looking forward to a setback. Hours-long physical contact is much better than a 30-minute session, and Kimberly wonders what's the last time Trini had one.

Kimberly's parents are blowing up her phone with calls and texts. She silenced it before but the phone keeps lighting up with notifications. She remembers the plan for a big dinner in celebration of her internship, which she missed. She quickly returns a message, saying "might not be home, busy at work", and then shuts the device down.

Phone. There were talks about banning them, but new researches came out and said it’s not the root problem. Electronic devices indeed contributed to the skin hunger epidemic, but banning them is blaming something else. 

The world has changed after the discovery of skin hunger. It is usually the young people that are stuck in the past. Some of them never adjusted to the affectionate new world. While others are meeting in person, hugging, kissing, cuddling to prevent skin hunger, the patients lock themselves away and grow sicker every day.

Growing up, Kimberly has parents who are particular about affection. After reading all about it on the news, they had a look of "I told you so" on their faces and took away her electronics so she can only meet her friends in person. As the world scurries to prevent this unusual disease, her family had mandatory hour-long sessions after dinners, where everyone squeezed together on that old sofa. It worked. None of them developed the symptoms.

Kimberly imagines many other families did not have that. Even as the epidemic raging across the globe, there are always people who think skin hunger is bullshit. Just last week a peaceful demonstration turned violent. The protestors thought it has something to do with some conspiracy.

Yet here they are. She lays down across the bed and hugs her patient carefully, trying not to disturb anything. It looks like she can’t get home anytime soon. Maybe while Trini naps, the therapists can get some shut eyes.

\---------

According to the bedside clock, Kimberly opens her eyes at 6 a.m. and Trini is still asleep. The patient didn’t move an inch and their hands are still connected. Now fully awake, Kimberly shivers when an unpleasant thought crosses her mind. She jolts away from the mattress, struggles free from the sheets and lays Trini’s hand down. 

“Trini?” Kimberly whispers, crawling closer to her. “Can you hear me? Wake up!”

No response. A wave of panic washes over her. Her heart is racing so fast she thinks it’s going to jump out.

Death by skin hunger is silent. The patients get tired so they sleep. Without treatment, they sleep for longer hours every day until they slip into eternal rest. 

Kimberly quickly does the calculation. 16 hours out of 24, Trini has been sleeping. That can’t be a good sign. What Kimberly doesn’t understand is why their hand-holding isn’t effective. The 8-hours hand-holding is supposed to recharge them both, especially Trini because she needs it the most. Kimberly should expect a hyper-energetic Trini jumping up and down the mattress, not an unconscious one. 

She glances over the emergency button. It’s still too early in the morning but some nurses working night shifts haven’t left yet. If she calls for help right now, she could be in time for an emergency room visit. 

But, what if Trini is just sleeping? The nurses would laugh at her newbie-ness and that’s not a good start for a career. Kimberly touches Trini's arm, it’s still very warm and soft. She feels for her pulse. The heart is still beating. She shakes the patient some more, and then proceeds to push Trini off the bed.

“What the...hell?” Trini groans. She rolls around inside her blanket cocoon, trying to figure out where she is.

Kimberly lets out a deep sigh of relief. “I’m sorry.” She kneels down on the floor and drags Trini back on the bed. “I thought you were dead.” She admits, pulling up some pillows and lets Trini sit against the headboard. Kimberly is now scared of Trini going back to sleep again.

“Jeez, you have great confidence in your skill.” Trini bites back and Kimberly is thankful that her energy recharge kicks in. Trini climbs out of the bed, rubbing her eyes and heads for the restroom. 

Kimberly notices how Trini is different this morning. She isn't exactly hyper active, but she is in a good mood, at least. Trini hums a random song while brushing her teeth. A song that Kimberly is so desperate to find out the name but she has never heard it before. 

Kimberly goes for the next best thing. As soon as she opens her mouth to ask, Trini spots her in the mirror and gives her a look. Kimberly doesn't quite know what it means, but she keeps her mouth shut.

Trini opens the drawer under the sink and collects a new set of clothes. It's the same exact outfit for the patient, and there are five more fresh sets folded up in there. She grabs the towel and turns around. She gives Kimberly another look and flashes a smile, kicking the restroom door closed.

Now Kimberly is confused. If an 8-hour touching session can make Trini so different, she wonders what will happen when she fully recovers.

"Don't take too long," Kimberly calls out, but her voice is drowned out by the shower running. She sighs and gets up, debating on if she needs coffee now or later. She is still worried about Trini. So many things can go wrong when the patient is naked in the shower. Kimberly tries not to think about that.

She doesn't dare risk leaving the room. What if something happens and Trini calls for help and no one is there? Kimberly keeps herself busy but cleaning the room. Not moping and wiping, the staff members will do that and she doesn't have the equipment. 

So Kimberly starts picking up the stuffed animals. They were used, but not heavily. Kimberly also knows Trini ignores them. Remembering the few posters down in the hospital lobby, Kimberly knows these toys are donated. 

Trini likes clean and new things, judging by their previous interaction. Kimberly doesn't know if it's true or just Trini being extra.   
Trini catches her when she exits the restroom. "What are you doing?" She sounds alarmed and Kimberly quickly turns around. The therapist has gathered up all seven toys and line them up on the bed. 

"Why are you putting them on my bed?" Trini studies the toys, and the then almost growls. 

"The staff will change your sheets, anyway." Kimberly isn't baffled. "Now, pick your favorite, I'm gonna return the rest."

"Why would you do that?" Trini asks, bewildered. "They are mine!"

"You don't use them and there are others who need them more." Kimberly mumbles, almost backing down from the offer. "Which is your favorite? The bear? The whale?"

She needs to push Trini out of her comfort zone even if she isn't comfortable. The stuffed animals are things that offer comforts, but they are no use if Trini doesn't cuddle them at night. The nurses meant good, they wanted her to at least have something when a living person isn't available. But now that Kimberly is here, Trini needs to get rid of the toys so she can rely on actual humans.

Trini watches Kimberly carefully, waiting for her to crack. The patient seems to comes to an understanding regarding why Kimberly is doing this.

"Can I just have them sitting in a corner?" Trini points at the far end of the room. "What harm could they do?" 

The toys can be...decorative but they are a part of Trini's routine. Kimberly sighs in defeat. "Okay. But you have to promise me not to touch them." Trini grins because it's can be easily done, but she frowns when Kimberly continues. "Meanwhile, you have to get all your physical contacts from humans."

"What?" Trini squirms and paces across the room, mindlessly arranging the toys in the designated corner. "Why?"

"You need to get better." After the scare, Kimberly becomes anxious every time she thinks about what could happen. "Remember, it's always okay to ask any staff in the building...the nurses are trained to help you."

"I hate them." Trini declares. "They are so rude and difficult. Not like you."

Kimberly is certain that the nurses think of Trini as the same, though she isn't prepared for that trailed-off sentence. "What about me?" Kimberly asks, interested in what her patient says about her. "I'm nice and easy?"

"No." Trini groans. It becomes inconvenient for her to carry on the conversation. "Forget it."

"It's okay." Kimberly grins at her, wrapping her arms around Trini's small frame. The hug takes Trini by surprise but she relaxes immediately. "I'm always here for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blah blah blah.


	6. Chapter 6

Kimberly used to enjoy stuffed animals as a child. Like many people, she has grown past that period. Even now, especially as an affection therapist, she appreciates those toys, but those beaded eyes staring at her from the corner is just creepy.

She wanted to point it out, but Trini seems contempt with the decision. Kimberly doesn’t want to stir things up when both of them are in a friendly situation.

Now they are both sitting against the headboard and watching the TV as Trini has suggested. It's a part of Trini's routine and Kimberly is in no position to change it up. The therapist only requested that Trini should sit instead of laying on the bed. Even with a pillow behind their back, it's quite uncomfortable. Kimberly can only hope the uncomfortableness prevents Trini from falling asleep.

Trini is easily bored by every channel, as she has been pressing the controller every few second. Kimberly isn't here to watch TV but rather watch Trini. It's amazing how the patient shows no sign of sleep with so few exciting things around.

"Do you wanna take a walk?" Kimberly suggests. Pented up energy is also harmful. "Maybe go to the common area downstairs?"

"Do I look stupid?" Trini sits up from the bed and huffs bitterly. "You can't trick me into socializing."

Kimberly decides to pull her hands away from Trini's forearm. She was drawing circles on the patient but it seems like the physical contact becomes too much. Trini isn't used to this and Kimberly can't overdose her. 

Trini immediately notices the absence of affection. She looks down at her arm, making sure that there really is nothing, and meets Kimberly's eyes. 

"Uh, no." Kimberly holds up a hand before Trini starts whining. "That's enough physical contact for today."

"Would you continue if I agree to go downstairs?" Trini asks hopefully. 

"I will think about it," Kimberly tells her, "while you are making friends in the common area."

"That's not going to happen." Trini groans and Kimberly waits patiently for her to turn around. "I don't even see them every day. Everyone hates me. I hate everyone."

"No me, though," Kimberly says with a grin. Trini glares at her and slips out of the bed. Kimberly meant to tease her but Trini takes it seriously.

"You are just like everyone else," Trini says sternly. "You hold this touching thing against me. Just because I let you hold my hand, you think I owe you something?"

"Oh, no, Trini. That's not what I meant." Kimberly mentally bursts into a panic. She scurries out of bed and tries to approach her patient, but every step she takes, Trini only retreat further.

Kimberly takes a deep breath to calm herself down. She stops herself in the middle of the room to avoid driving Trini into a corner. 

"Look," Kimberly starts to explain and Trini looks like she watches her to. "It's my job to treat you but besides that, I really care about you." She cringed at how that sounds and wonders where her six years of education is.

"No patient wants to hear this, but..." Kimberly is desperate. "You are dying. It's not fun and game anymore... you could die. Long periods of physical contact can help you, but there has to be a limit. I'm not trying to deny you anything, but you have to know that your recovery will be a slow process. You have to be patient."

Trini continues to stare at her aggressively, not moving an inch.

"You don't have to go downstairs, alright?" Kimberly didn't know it would be this difficult. She doesn't want to sounds like Trini must socialize, though it's good for her. "Come back to bed. We can start a movie or something."

"I need to use the restroom." Trini finally mumbles. She turns around and walks away quickly.

"No, wait!" Kimberly yells out when she recognizes that move. She heard about how this particular patient enjoys alone time in the restroom, hours at a time and doing nothing. She doesn't mean to scare Trini but that's exactly what happened. 

Trini struggles to keep a calm face. "Now I can't even go to the restroom?" She asks challengingly. 

"Of course you can." Kimberly hurriedly says. "Just please try not to spend more than five minutes."

Trini closes the door harshly, and Kimberly sinks herself into the bed. She lets out a loud sigh and opens her eyes to start at the ceiling. The treatment isn't going anywhere. They take one step forward and two steps back. 

Kimberly has an idea to fix this. She jumps up and reaches for the telephone. She dials a button for the kitchen and speaks as soon as the staff picks up. "Remember the menu change for the patient in Room 224?"

"Yeah...? We are changing her on staff menu." The nurse drags her voice lazily. "What happened?"

"What's for today?"

"Breakfast burrito for brunch. Mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner, if the patient is still awake."

"Great." Kimberly smiles. "Just don't forget about it." She hangs up.

The room is back to a certain quietness. Kimberly only realizes it now, that she didn't hear any sound coming from the restroom. No water running, nothing. She approaches the door quickly to hear more carefully. She immediately feels a sense of relief when she hears a sniff and a sigh on the inside of the door. Is Trini crying?

"Are you spying on me?" The door flys open and Kimberly comes face to face with Trini. There is no tear in her eyes or stain on her face. "No...of course not." The doctor swallows unwillingly. This is unfortunate. 

Trini stares her down for a second and strides away. 

"I thought about it. You don't have to go downstairs." Kimberly announces.

"I thought we already agreed?" Trini flips onto the bed and spread her arms. "What do you want now?"

"It's almost lunch time. Call the kitchen so they can send you something other than oatmeal." Kimberly suggests. "Since you hate it so much."

The smallest request can sound like a challenge. Trini immediately sits up, wearing the expression of "are you crazy" on her face. Kimberly waits patiently for her to make the decision. 

"Fine." Trini groans to herself when she remembers the taste of oatmeal. "What do I say?"

Kimberly happily dials the telephone and hands it to her, while Trini is anxiously waiting for Kimberly's answer. "Just...Ask what's the menu for today."

"Hello?" The nurse answers from the other side of the line. Trini freezes when she hears it and stretch her arm out, hopefully for Kimberly to answer. Kimberly pushes it back.

"Hello? Anyone there?" The nurse says again. "What can I do for you?"

“Goodbye,” Trini says and hangs up. Kimberly has her eyebrow raised and watches Trini withers in self-induced agony. She looks angry and about to cry at the same time. 

The doctor sighs and decides to give in. She inches toward her patient and lays a hand on her shoulder. 

“You’re gonna tell me to try again,” Trini predicts with a sigh.

“It’s up to you.” Kimberly smooths her clothed shoulder, while secretly knowing the kitchen will send up non-oatmeal soon. “Either way, I’m not going to force you to do anything.”

Trini picks up the phone and dials back. The nurse answers almost immediately but waiting for the patient to speak first. Trini swallows hard and turns to Kimberly, who gives her encouraging looks. 

“W-what’s the menu for today?” Trini asks, voice a little shaky. Her gaze never leaves Kimberly’s face.

“It’s breakfast burrito for brunch and mashed potato with gravy for dinner.” The nurse says pleasantly. “Would you like your brunch now?”

“Yeah.” Trini waits for a nod from Kimberly before saying. She hangs up immediately after getting the message across, as if the phone is infected. Letting out a deep sigh, she leans sideway, throwing herself right into Kimberly’s arms. The act surprised them both. But after some silent blushing, they didn't acknowledge it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry...I've been busy and this update is overdue. I will try to post once a week though the schedule may vary. I do have the story planned out. I hope you like this chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

Kimberly can't help but stays for an extra five minute for the handholding, and they aren't exactly holding hands. Trini has been extremely hyped up after all the affection she got. She had all her meals before its bed time, and did everything she can in the space of her room. 

The patient is now laying across Kimberly's laps, sleeping. Trini got too tired after rolling around with her blankets on the ground. She is hugging Kimberly's knees as the therapist unconsciously strokes her hair. 

Kimberly snaps out of it and sighs in her reality. She carefully replaces her thighs with a pillow, and scoots down the bed. The sun has set and she must go back to her own home. She finds the file holder and marks down a successful "hand-holding" session with side notes about how Trini is starting to trust her. 

She gives Trini one last glance before leaving the room. Kimberly leaves the file in the office on the way to the hospital door. The hall has a glow of moonlight as nurses quietly guide patients back to their rooms. Kimberly smiles at the few staffers she got to know, and heads to the train station.

The Blue Line is the most convenient train for her commuting, and fortunately, it's still running this late. Kimberly picks the window seat, accidentally meets the gaze of an affection guard. She smiles at the uniformed officers, and returns to watch out of the window. 

There are more affection guards now, and they are everywhere. Kimberly feels safe in one's presence. Two years ago, the Blue Line became the first train to do a whole new innovation, promoting affection in public. The seats are now faux leather couches, and the interior is warm and cozy. It is common knowledge that strangers can pair up if they want to. With this new development comes rare cases of theft, robbery, and assault. A robot or surveillance camera can't detect illegal movements, which are usually subtle. Not yet, at least. A pair of human eyes can tell if a person's hand is touching another person's waist, or picking their pocket. The railroad company came up with the solution of hiring affection guards, who are body guards but for every passenger.

Kimberly senses a person sits down next to her. There are many empty seats around. 

Kimberly prepares herself for a request. As an affection therapist, she feels obligated to give out free hugs if people other than her patient ask her. She glances at the passenger on her left. It's a school girl, looks like she's in high school. She is hugging her backpack, though, and she's not looking at Kimberly. It doesn't seem like she wants a hug.

The two of them sit in silence until Kimberly arrives at her stop and has to get across her. Before she can mutter "excuse me", the girl moves her legs to the side, avoiding all touches as if it's a plague. Kimberly looks over her shoulder when she steps onto the platform. How weird, she thinks. 

She returns to her home and into the arms of her parents. They insist on hugging her extra long before and after the dinner. Kimberly has already eaten but she still pushes her food around to make them happy. 

“So, how’s your first day of work?” After a few minutes at the dinner table, her mother asks. “The first two days, I mean.”

“It’s an intern job,” Kimberly corrects. “And it’s fine.”

“How do you feel about your patient?” Her parents take turns shooting questions at her. “Is it an easy one?”

Kimberly’s stomach tightens when she hears her father’s words. She had mashed potatoes with Trini, and now she regrets that meal. Her patient took one look at the potatoes, and decided it’s too much for one person. So they shared. Unlike many other professions, affection therapists have a very loose definition of “inappropriate”.

“She certainly isn’t easy,” Kimberly mumbles, remembering all the struggles in merely two days. The road to recovery won’t be relaxing, and she can’t see the end point in near future.

Her parents exchange a look because of the pronoun. They aren’t surprised. They look happy, even. Rumors are patients of the same sex has the doctor are more corporative to the touching. “I’m sure you’ll manage.” 

Kimberly excuses herself and goes up to her bedroom. She moved out for college and now she has to move back for the internship. Only when an intern moves onto their second patient, will they be assigned a one-bedroom apartment somewhere near the hospital. 

To her, she has to cure Trini or she will lose everything and be back to square one.

In the past two days, there were moments that she felt like she almost cracked Trini’s shell. But it’s a game of push and pulls. Kimberly isn’t playing against Trini but against death itself.

After cleaning herself, Kimberly lays on her unfamiliar bed. She stares at her ceiling, playing the recent events in her head. She suddenly realizes why the train ride back home was so strange. 

There was something off about that environment, and the passenger sitting next to her. Kimberly thinks of an answer. Unlike every doctor’s belief, the patients don’t have a tragic past or something that traumatized them. Skin hunger is not a car accident or something similar. The patients don’t bleed and don’t loose an arm. Their wounds aren’t visible, and therefore, others can’t see the cuts heal or deepen. 

Trini isn’t too different from other patients. Her damage was done gradually over a long period of time, maybe a span of five years or more. If Kimberly wants to treat her, she must do it slowly, since there is no magic formula like “for every emotional wound, cuddle for 24 hours and instantly see the result”. 

Maybe the treatment will take five years, Kimberly doesn’t know. But time is something they don’t have.


	8. Chapter 8

Kimberly passed out with her late night resolution. She wakes with a startle without the alarm clock. She didn’t dream of anything.

It’s six in the morning, and she can’t manage to fall asleep again. She crawls to the charging station of her wearable and squints her eyes at the screen. There is one notification at 5:39 a.m. says “Patient T. Gomez has pressed her alarm, attention needed” and it’s a bucket of ice. Kimberly is now fully awake.

It’s twenty minutes ago. Whatever it is, Kimberly can do nothing other than worry. It will take her at least an hour to get there. By that time, the emergency will have a result whether she likes it or not. Kimberly just hopes it’s something small, like Trini is awake and wants a cup of water. 

Kimberly rolls out of bed and quickly gets dressed. Since the living room is empty, she grabs her bag and walks out. 

The train is already here when she exits the elevator to the platform. She takes off running and squeezes between the sliding door to get in. The transport is crowded with commuting workers, but not as many as the peak hour. There is nowhere to sit but plenty of room to stand.

Kimberly leans against a pole and signs. The train stops at a dozen stops and waits even though there is no one getting on. It fuels her frustration, since those scientists couldn’t invent a way for humans to fly while they are working on understanding skin hunger. 

When she finally arrives, she walks as fast as she can without running. The nurses give her curious looks as she climbs up the staircase. She rounds the corner. A group of staffers is standing at the end of the end of the hallway. They are whispering in front of Room 224. Kimberly’s heart sinks and it confirms her worry. She takes a deep breath and approaches the nurses, who all look up to stare at her.

“What’s the problem?” Kimberly stops in front of the closed door. She clears her throat and asks. “I received a notification…very early in the morning.”

They are all wearing different degrees of anxiety on their faces, and Kimberly is the calmest. Nothing matches what she is feeling inside. She extends her head to place her ear close to the door, while reaching to twist the door knob. Inside the room, something lands on the ground with a thud and someone whimpers. Why are the nurses standing around instead of helping Trini?

“We’d advise against you do that.” One of them hurriedly says. Kimberly pulls back her hand. “Someone please tell me what’s going on.” She knows her emotion is slipping into her voice because all of them look at her with sympathy and discomfort. 

“The guards are inside.” The same nurse answers. She is a woman in her fifties and looking apologetic as soon as she senses Kimberly’s mood shift. “I’m sorry…but we had to call them to get the situation under control." 

Kimberly closes her eyes for a second to calm herself down. It’s not working. “What situation?” She asks, forcing herself to be patient.

“Miss Gomez threw a fit when she woke up. It’s for no reason. She wasn’t even having a nightmare.” A nurse complains. 

Trini cries out again on the other side of the door. Kimberly decides to screw it and pushes open the door. The nurses reach for her to stop her, but she already takes in the scene. 

Kimberly stands there, frozen. She doesn’t see Trini at first. The patient’s white uniform is blending in with her surrounding. Three affection guards in full riot gears are trying to contain her movements. The guards are wearing all white, representing a peaceful intervene. It certainly didn’t last for long. 

Trini is on the floor, crawling toward the restroom which is the only place she feels safe, while the guards are trying to pick her up and inject a sedative and put her to bed. The problem is, every time one of the guards touches her, she fights back like her life depends on it. With fists and kicking and biting. A guard is at her feet, pulling her legs but is constantly getting kicked in the mask. Another one grabs her arm for the third one to push the needle in, but Trini moves too violently for them to hold her still. She continues to mutter something and only growls when she hits a leg on the bed frame. She rolls around to disable the guards’ attempt, and stumbles to get up. Her legs are wobbly but she still aims for the restroom, desperately to be alone. 

Kimberly stands there with her mouth slightly open. The scene would make her laugh if she isn’t heartbroken. Her throat tightens and can’t utter a sound. 

“Stop,” Kimberly whispers. Her voice not strong enough at first. “Stop everything!”

The guards turn to look at her. Their hesitation lets Trini slip away easily. Trini throws herself onto the tiles of the restroom and slams the door shut. In the flash of motion, her eyes widen when she sees Kimberly at the doorway. 

The wooden surface makes a dull sound. Kimberly can imagine Trini plops herself against the door to stop anyone from opening it.

“Please leave us alone.” Kimberly sighs as the guards silently walk past her in a file. All of her energy is leaving her body, even though she didn’t do a single physical work. Maybe all her effort has gone down the drain.

Kimberly closes the door after chasing everyone away. She can hear the snippets of the nurses scolding the guards to shift the blame. She doesn't care about them. “Trini, it’s okay now.” Kimberly stands outside of the restroom. "It's only me."

Trini sniffs but doesn't answer. After a few minutes, the door cracks open for a slit and Kimberly sees this as an opportunity. She pushes on the door, using more forces than she expected. Something heavy slowly slides on the tiles. Once the opening is large enough, Kimberly discovers Trini is still leaning against the door. The patient looks up and stares at her angrily with tearful eyes.

Kimberly feels her heart softens. "I'm so sorry that happened." She kneels down so she's on Trini's level. "The guards are just doing their jobs. They just don't know better." She sighs, hating on everyone else. A bunch of idiots who dreamt of becoming cops. They can't treat patients like criminals. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Kimberly studies her exposed arms and there are no bruises.

Trini looks away and hugs herself. Kimberly interprets it as a signal of something. She reaches out and helps Trini get up, who has no difficulty with this simple task. Her patient carefully takes in the physical contact as Kimberly helps her get back to bed. 

"It's okay. You don't have to talk to me." Kimberly lets her settle in. "Is there something you need? Something to drink or eat?"

Even though she did nothing, Kimberly feels guilty for this to happen to her patient. In Trini's state, any kind of forced physical contact can be traumatizing. She caresses Trini's arm gently, hoping for an answer. Anything. 

Trini doesn't say a word, but when Kimberly's hand goes up on her bicep, she leans in a little so the therapist is resting on her shoulder and neck. 

A wave of surprise takes over Kimberly's mind. This must be a welcoming act. She tightens her arms around Trini's small body. 

"Talk to me," Kimberly mumbles into her patient's hair. "But only if you want to."

“I wanted to call for you,” Trini's voice is drifting off the edge. "But I don't even know your name."

“It’s Hart. Doctor Hart.” Trini probably didn’t listen when she first introduced herself. Kimberly doesn’t blame her.

“I know that. What’s your first name?” Trini is enjoying the affection very much, almost seems to be distracted by it. After all, Kimberly is stroking her hair, like how she would pet an injured small animal.

“It would be best if you call me by my last name.” Kimberly sigh, playing with a strand of Trini's hair.

“Stop it. There are more inappropriate things.” Trini looks almost brave.

“True.” Any other therapists of other professions would never get on a bed with their patients, not if they want to stay in the line. Kimberly lowers her head. “If you really want to know. My name is Kimberly."


	9. Chapter 9

Right now, two things have become painfully clear.

One, Kimberly can’t trust her colleagues. At least not the majority of them. The fellow therapists are okay because they understand, but the other staffers are only here for the paychecks. The incident has indeed had an impact on Trini. The patient refuses to talk about it, so all Kimberly can do to help is stay with her. The guards are let off the hook with a warning. Kimberly is still frustrated. She doesn’t expect the Director to fire them, but they could use some re-education.

Two, Trini is only trusting Kimberly. The therapist constantly wonders if her patient really trusts her, or she's just the only bearable person around. Either way, Kimberly is glad. Yet, she doesn't know if she is trustworthy since the incident also proves that she can't always be here for Trini.

Kimberly presents her second clear thing at the staff meeting, a weekly event when all therapists sit down and talk about their progress. Kimberly finds out that everyone else's patients are easier to handle, and Trini is indeed the toughest case around. The other patients accept cuddles easily, and they hang out downstairs all the time. She thinks about it for a while and decides she still doesn't regret taking the Director's offer.

She gets to meet all twenty-one of the therapists on the floor. Three of them have two patients instead of one. The three also looks like they are the most capable and knowledgeable ones.

“It’s understandable, how Trini is attached to you.” Dr. Cranston, one of the three, says calmly. He wears a pair of glasses that sit low on his nose bridge, which makes him look older than he actually is. He likes to look at people in the eyes while taking. “After all, you are the only real connect she has in months. Had she show the same…fondness for anyone else?” He gives the question for everyone, who all shakes their heads.

Kimberly sits there, a bit uncomfortable. The other therapist doesn't even care to cure Trini. They tried for a day or two and then gave up. Although she doesn’t show it, Kimberly is kind of proud of herself. To be liked by Trini is an honorable thing.

“She hates the nurses, and never liked the guards,” Jason adds. “It’s safe to say that she only accepts Kimberly.” He gives his colleague a smile and lowers his voice to a whisper. “I wonder why.”

Kimberly’s cheeks warm. She shifts her weight in her seat. Jason meant to tease but the nearest three or four therapists also heard the words. They exchange glances.

Kimberly wants to hit Jason but it’s not appropriate in the workspace. He throws her a half-apologizing, half-amused glance.

Dr. Cranston scans the faces of the therapists in an alert and curious way.

“Since you brought it to our attention,” he gestures at Jason with an encouraging grin. “Jason? Explain the Unofficial Rule.” He rubs his hands under his chin, eyes him with anticipation.

“What unofficial rule?” Kimberly asks, nervously. Although she feels this way, it doesn’t sound like she is in trouble.

“A relationship between an affection therapist and their patient…isn’t so much of a taboo.” Jason says with a shrug. “The physicians are more traditional, so we don’t flicker our rule in front of them. I mean, it’s only natural. Your job is basically setting up for the four bases..."

Scandalized, Kimberly tunes out after the first sentence. Her mouth opens slightly. Her brain is blank with shock. She faintly registers that her blush must be so visible right now.

“It’s good for the recovery of certain difficult patients. So we…"

“So you seduce the patient?” Kimberly blinks. “What?”

“No no no…” several therapists speak at once, reminding her that it’s not a private conversation.

“We don’t push for it to happen.”

“What he meant is, we won’t slap an ethics code on you when it happens."

“...with the consent of both parties.”

Her brain barely takes in the words. Damn it. She’s almost a doctor. She’s supposed to be smart.

“As you already know, a creepy dude can’t find a job as an affection therapist,” Jason says, proudly. “We’re like pop singers. Talents are good, but looks do help.”

Kimberly glances at the faces around her, realizing he is telling the truth. Every affection therapists she has seen in her life, are either young and at least somewhat attractive, or old and kind-looking. She had thought it was a coincidence. She wasn’t complaining when she gets to work with nice people. Right now, it seems like a plot from the beginning.

She is standing up before she can stop. The others eye her while she excuses herself. They assume she’s going for more coffee. She gathers her files and notes in one arm, strides toward the door and ignores the coffee table. She hears a chair scraps the floor behind her, and soon Jason is with her in the corridor.

“Look, I’m sorry…the topic just came up.” He says quickly before she can push him away. “I can see you’re uncomfortable, but…"

“It’s my patient. I can decide very well myself.” Kimberly says, a bit too harshly because he flinches. She knows her voice carries through the door she just closed. Good.  
Then a tiny voice within her tells her to stop acting like a prude. She calms her voice. “I will do what her treatment requires, and nothing out of the line.”

Jason smiles brightly as if she spoke the truest words. He pats her shoulder twice and sticks a head in the staff room. Seeing that the other therapists are wrapping up the meeting, he enters for his stuff. “Good luck to you, Doctor Hart.” He says.

Kimberly turns around for Trini’s room. She is getting used to her title.

Trini is perched on the windowsill when Kimberly knocks and enters. She jumps in surprise but balanced herself before she can fall off.

“What is it?” Trini asks, alarmed.

"I know you don’t want to talk about this…but tell me about your dream.” Kimberly leans against the door frame, doesn’t approach her.

Trini turns away. “I forgot.”

“What can you remember?” Kimberly knows there’s more. Her patient said it too quickly.

Trini moves one of her legs. She squats on the narrow surface, now fully resembles a bird on a wireline. Kimberly resists the urge to call her out, to ask why she is doing that. She also resists the urge to laugh.

“Nothing of your concern,” Trini says defensively. She glares, but not too effective due to her position.

One step forward, two steps back. Kimberly thought they were past that. “I’m your therapist. You can tell me anything.”

“Is that why you become an AT? So you can know everything?”

Kimberly rolls her eyes subtly. Off the topic again, but she still answers Trini. “No. A hacker would know everything. I’m not a hacker.”

“Then why did you do it?” Trini asks. “So you can have a license to cuddle people?”

That’s part of the reason, but Kimberly will not admit it. “Some doctor had a speech at my high school, about the effect of skin hunger, I think.” She thinks about it for a moment to ensure she remembers correctly. “And then she introduced affection therapist as a career. I never heard of it before.”

“That’s it?”

Kimberly can’t tell if Trini is disappointed. If she expects a dramatic origin, she’s not going to get it. The therapist opens her mouth to speak, but her patient interrupts her.

“This speaker can’t be that convincing,” Trini mumbles, almost as if to herself. “Did someone in your family get skin hunger? Or was it one of your friends?”

“Trini,” Kimberly says warningly. “It’s not-"

The patient stares at her in defiance. “What? That’s how people went to med school to cure cancer. Someone they know, dying or dead.” She releases her legs, which must be sore by now. She lets them swing loosely. “Skin hunger and cancer are basically the same, anyway.”

“Is that what you really think?” Kimberly asks, softly this time. Cancer has a reputation for being hopeless. It changes the patient and everyone around them forever. Thinking about it, so does skin hunger. The latter being a much newer disease seems even more impossible to cure. ”Repulsa’s Second Law states that there is a direct relationship between one’s health and human contact. I’m paraphrasing, but still. As long as you receive an appropriate amount of human contact, you will be on the track to recovery. There’s no reason to…”

Kimberly stops abruptly. Trini hasn’t spoken a word or make a gesture to interrupt her, but she stops. There is something wrong. Kimberly can sense it.

“Trini?”

With a small thud, Trini slips off her perch in a controlled manner. Her bare feet land on the ground. Kimberly looks for her eyes in confusion, but she slips under her comforter and turns to her side.

“Did I say something wrong?” Kimberly asks, feeling stupid and out of the loop.

“Read up on her theories, and you’ll understand.”

“Who? Doctor Rita Repulsa?” Normal people know Repulsa as one of the most renowned doctors in this field, but they rarely find the interest to learn about her actual works. Trini seems to share an inside seriousness with herself, and Kimberly doesn’t get it.

Trini wraps herself in a cocoon and doesn’t speak. Kimberly approaches her slowly. Maybe some physical contact will help. Whatever this is. But Trini rolls toward the far end of the bed.

Kimberly recognizes the silent hint. Perhaps she needs to review her college textbook before trying to understand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone for so long...here's an update. Though I can't promise to stick to a schedule, I will try to do my best to update more. Thank you all for being interested in this au.

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go...I do enjoy putting them in strange situations.


End file.
